1. UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM
INSTITUTE OF MARINE SCIENCES
GROUP.3 PRESENTATION
COURSE: MARINE CONSERVATION SCIENCES
LECTURER: DR. MWITA MANGORA
PRESENTATION DATE: 2 February 2023
QUESTION: Bridging the gap between conservation
theory and practice for coastal and marine
environment
3. INTRODUCTION
Conservation theory, involves set of principles, ideas, tools
and concepts on which the conservation practices are based.
Conservation biologist or scientist involved in developing
these theories which guide our understanding of population,
species and ecosystems by documenting biodiversity, monitor
species and habitats.
Also by identifying factors that would serve as basis for
triangle for species and ecosystems.
4. Conservation practices involves putting these theories,
principles or ideas effectively into actions in order to
have have actual application of theories in ensuring
effective conservation processes.
However in order to have effectively application of
these theories there must be combination of
conservation biologists (conservation minded
institution, individuals or organizations) with other
actors or most practitioners usually non biologists (local
communities, environmental consultants or civil
servants).
5. This practitioners are the one that would pursue diverse of
activities (tackling invasive species, guarding against poachers
)suggested by science hence put into action the theory of
conservation generated by scientists or conservation minded
institutions, individuals and organizations.
So in order to bridge the gap between conservation theory
and practice it needs various efforts to ensure there is
integration in activities of conservation biologist or
conservation minded institutions and individuals with the
practitioners who have vital role of putting theories into
actions.
6. EFFORTS NEEDED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN CONCERVATION THEORY
AND PRACTICE FOR MARINE AND COASTAL CONSERVATION
7. 1.Integrating science and implementation
By forming partnership between decision makers and local
people into conservation planning will enable local actors and
external practitioners to work with planners in developing
broad project goals and strategies
This will cause wide ownership of conservation plan which is
very important in increasing support of practices and
improvement of implementation of the plan.
So its important to avoid engaging only statutory agencies
but also involve other practitioners such as land owners, local
communities and non governmental sectors.
8. 2.Building capacity for practical
conservation in developing countries
In many developing economies with rich tropical
biodiversity, government agencies responsible for
the management of protected areas lack the
necessary technical capacity to stem biodiversity
loss effectively.
These gaps in capacity occur at all levels,
At the ground level, managers of natural resources
including biodiversity within protected areas often
have limited access to the vast and dynamic body of
knowledge and tools in conservation science.
9. Cont…..
There is an urgent and critical need to transfer
the advances in conservation science to
individuals and institutions in biodiversity-rich
countries.
Building the capacity needed to implement
conservation strategies and apply
conservation principles.
10. Training of in-service conservation professionals
and enhancement of university graduate and
undergraduate programs that will generate a cadre
of future conservation professionals
in the field of conservation, graduates of such
training programs need relevant multidisciplinary
knowledge and practical skills such as problem
solving and conflict resolution to tackle the
complexities of biological and societal issues that
characterize applied conservation.
11. Cont…..
The urgency of the biodiversity crisis must
coupled with conservation agencies and short
project timelines to make on-the-job training
of individuals the most common approach to
tackle the lack of capacity.
NGOs for instance, should work with
individuals on specific projects and attempt to
build capacity that is often quite specialized.
12. Cont……..
Strong linkages between international NGOs
dealing with conservation and local
institutions in countries such as ZOAFO ( Zan
ocean agro forest organization) and
Mwambao are often key to provide field
training opportunities and financial supports
in applied conservation research and
management.
13. 3.Beyond science: reach out for conservation.
Globally, a key challenge to achieving conservation
goals is the need to capture the interest of local
people in a manner that stimulates cooperation and
positive conservation actions.
That is, conservation biologists need to work very
closely with local communities to mobilize support
for conservation through better informed and
carefully designed outreach.
To involve the local communities living adjacent to
threatened species and their habitats helps build a
constituency that is more aware of its role either as
part of the problem or sometimes, as part of the
solution in a protected area.
14. Cont…
• This awareness is crucial to the effective
implementation of conservation strategies.
• Field-based research outreach and partnership
programs facilitate a two-way dialogue:
local participants learn firsthand what scientists do,
how they do it, and why they do it and
by working with local communities, scientists can
learn how local residents relate to the threatened
species and habitats they study.
15. 4.Monitoring of Biodiversity at Local and
Global Scale
Monitoring is critically essential to determine the
extent to which protected areas are effective in
conserving biodiversity or achieving other
management objectives.
Monitoring that provides assessment of threats
in a manner that allows managers to respond
effectively, is central to good conservation
management.
Monitoring helps identify priority areas for
research and conservation, and to quantify the
response of plant and animal populations to
disturbance and management interventions.
16. Cont…
Biodiversity conservation is one of the key objectives
of protected areas.
The development of biodiversity monitoring systems
for protected areas now attracts a significant
proportion of the international funding for
biodiversity conservation.
Monitoring should be conducted at local and global
scale.
The technical and statistical problems of monitoring
at a local level are relatively benign when compared
to the problems of tackling monitoring at a global
scale.
Challenges of estimating global rates of loss are
enormous.
17. 5.Looking beyond protected areas
• Over past decades loss of biodiversity loss has been
reduced by introduction of protected areas
• These protected areas have acted as small refuges for
particular species to the protection of entire ecosystems.
• This approach aims at implementing strategies for
safeguarding protected areas as components of larger
ecosysstems
• Ecological processes and human activities often spill across
the boundaries of protected areas, conservation that is
focused solely within the limits of protected areas is often
faced with difficult challenges.
18. So conservation should also include human-
dominated landscapes.
landscape approach to conservation is whereby
protected areas are managed as one component of
a larger conservation landscape that is not isolated
from land uses where biodiversity conservation is
not the primary objective.
19. 6.Policy outreach
• Policy outreach involves the effort of individuals in a
group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of
other groups
• We are talking about special cooperation in which the
aim of the two groups is coincide with out
participating on equal basis
• It involves of directing ideas to other group, so that
other group would accept them, transform its mental
outlook and activities accordingly
• So commitment to the inherent value of biodiversity is
highly required furthermore conservation biologists
should explicitly advocate for values.
20. 7.Biodiversity and human poverty
The creation of protected areas in order to
restrict the use of biodiversity in such
countries therefore has impacts on
communities and other users who are benefit
economically from directly utilizing
biodiversity or converting the land to a more
profitable form of use such as oil palm
plantations.
21. Some social advocates, on the other end of the
spectrum, contest the establishment and
management of protected areas, and support the
beliefs that:
Only initiatives related to poverty alleviation will
lead to successful biodiversity conservation since
poverty is the root cause of environmental
destruction
22. Protected areas have been frequently
established at the expense of local
communities (in and around protected areas)
through displacement and dispossession, and
are responsible for perpetuating poverty by
the continued denial of access to land and
other resources.
23. 8.people making a difference: A Rare
approach
• Approach Recognizing the important role that
communities can play in conservation
• A rare approach has adopted a mission to conserve
endangered species and ecosystems around the world by
inspiring people to care about and protect nature
• This approach bridging the gap between theory and
practice conservation by
• By addressing some of the most pressing needs of the
global conservation movement.
• Rare trains and mentors local conservation leaders in the
use of proven outreach tools,
24. builds partnerships to leverage their
investments and
evaluate lessons learned to continuously
improve the practice of conservation
25. conclusion
• Filling gaps in capacity involves a diversity of
approaches from on-the-job training of individuals
to restructuring academic and professional training
programs.
• Prioritizing capacity needs is vital to a longer-term
vision of enabling responsible protection of
biodiversity.
